Since my attachment started, I have only been thinking of two things at any given time on a day to day basis. 12pm, and 5.30pm. Lunchtime is one solid hour of getting away from the drab white walls of the office, and to at least see a bit of the sun. All while filling up the stomach. It is a happy time.
But just yesterday, dear ol' Mr Sun decided to go on strike, leaving the damn rain clouds to take over the sky. And oh boy, did it rain. It rained real bad, because the canteen upstairs, the last holy scantuary of the whole building (apart from the first floor where I regularly spend about 5 mins about every 2 hours) was packed. The queue for the only food stall almost reached the lift, no kidding. I was forced to pick up some bread and bear not just with the agony of hunger pangs, but even worse, to bear with being in those 4 walls for a little while longer.
If hell were a place on earth, it would be a tiny room in the corner of Level 4, Corporation Place. Where time stands still, and you just sit. Sometimes, they give you stuff to do, but its all just a tiny distraction from the big picture; the fact that you will be forced to waste your life away for all of eternity. I swear, I have seen my fingernails grow while sitting on that highly comfy chair. Hang on, the left index looks a couple of millimetres longer now.
Thankfully, the radio, always the trusty companion, decided to give me a perfect way to redeem that awful day. Bernie, the boss of everybody's favourite BOTAK JONES, was in the studio today, and was talking about the new item on the menu. Wagyu beef.
For those not in the know, wagyu is widely considered to be one of the best breeds of cattle to consume. If you can only eat beef once in your life, try wagyu. Or kobe. The beef, not the basketball player. The two cattle are rather similar.
Anyways, after work, I quickly rushed down to the Toa Payoh branch to get my fix. It was 200gms of bliss. In fact, for 36bucks, it ain't too overboard, even if you're taking into account that the recent stock markets are plunging like Guo Jingjing from 10 metres, abeit not as gracefully.
It was a brilliant wrap up to the day. And I, for once, am satisfied. =D
(note: this was done on notepad, and then cut and pasted.)
when was the last time you went to a hawker centre?
an actual hawker centre. one that can only be termed 'organised chaos'. as you walk down the aisles, the flames almost spill out from under the wok, threatening to set fire to anybody who attempts to walk past it. as you walk around the radius defined by that firen from the hounds of hell, a shout of 'SIAM AH!' rings through the air, causing one to almost jump. as you turn around to wonder at the source of the noise, the layer of grime on top of the tiled floor almost cause you to slip and fall.
now that, boys and girls, is what i would call an actual hawker centre.
the old market near my house that had been simply left alone for quite a few years just reopened. it was one of those really old markets. as in wet market old. the kind of place where you would be standing at the vegetable stall, deciding on the freshest and ripest tomatoes and all you would smell, is that stench from the drain. while pointing out your choice chicken hanging from the hook and you would smell the drain. and finally, just before leaving that market, you decide to stop by the fish stall. taking a whiff, all that lingers in the air, is the smell of.. you guessed it, the stench from the drain. indeed.
so i turned up at the newly refurbished place, hoping for the best. took a walk around, and i noticed a sign hanging around at every single stall i saw. either that was the flash of blue pieces of acrylic, or it was simply adorned on every stall.
'BANQUET', it proclaimed proudly.
oh boy, did i step into a trap.
it was horrible. i've always avoided like the plague any place where people consume food with the words 'KOPITIAM', 'FORK AND SPOON' and 'BANQUET'. havent exactly tried food rep yet, so cant complain yet. i avoid them not that the food is bad, although the food there is really mediocre at best. its just simply too clean, too orderly and too organised. the stalls are decked out neatly in a row, all stallholders wearing that neatly pressed uniform, just waiting for you to please, please, please buy your food from them. now i understand that has all to do with the increase in the standard of living, but maybe they did too good a job this time, because somehow, a clean and orderly place with people lined up in neatly pressed white uniforms just looks so strangely familiar.
and the was exactly like i expected. food was not the best around, prices were steeper than everest, and it didnt smell like one. it was quite amazing. a hawker centre (it had no air con, so doesnt qualify as a foodcourt) that did not smell at all of cooking oil. everybody knows that smell takes up about 60% of taste, so imagine my dispair when everything just looked so uniform, so clean and rubber stamped. sigh.
its things that these that take the soul out of 'soul food'. progress for the sake of progress should
never be encouraged. hawker centres are part of our culture, much like that kiasuism that so many of us are tempted to proclaim as our religion. do we really want all the food courts around to have that same same but different chicken rice stall, noodle and of course, the customary muslim food stall, all dishing out the same drab fare, shamelessly allowing our tastebuds and minds to accept such mediocrity on a regular basis, available at any of those franchised, brand-name food courts.
so, tell me, when was the last time you went to a hawker centre, and the soup accompanying the bak chor mee you ordered was absoulutely crowded with unidentifiable brown bits, much like that yellow cloud from the miso soup,but just tasted so damn good.
